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“It sucks. I trusted her at first because she had her own doubts about the lifestyle, but then they brainwashed her or something. Now she thinks she’s doing this for my own good, and…” Rowan trailed off, glancing at Iris and Sally. “Who are these two anyway?”
“My housemates,” Mira said.
Rowan seemed to put the pieces together then. “I’ve heard a lot about you. You must be Iris…and Sally, of course. Love your cardigan! It’s too cute.”
“Maybe now’s not the time for a lengthy chat,” Sally said.
They nodded. “Yeah, I need to get out of here. Don’t know where I’ll go, but—”
“You’re coming home with us,” Mira cut in firmly.
Rowan didn’t seem sure about that, but they didn’t argue. Just as well because Sally was right. It would be safer to avoid a confrontation with Rowan’s family. Maybe they wouldn’t make a huge fuss, but Iris would rather not test the issue. She focused on the practical side of the situation.
“Do you know where your phone is?” Iris asked.
“My dad put it in the locked file cabinet in his home office.”
“I can retrieve it while you pack,” Sally said.
Everyone just sort of…stared at her after hearing that. Iris had to smile over such a kindly, innocent old lady confessing to thieving skills. “Care to explain?” Iris asked.
Sally waved a hand airily. “Now isn’t the time. Rowan needs to get their stuff. We can talk about it later.”
Ten minutes later, they were backing out of the long drive onto the county road when a truck with high beams on came toward them. Rowan glared. “That’s them.”
“You don’t have to worry about them anymore,” Sally said.
“I prefer found families anyway,” Iris murmured. “So it was a bit hectic back there, but…welcome to ours.”
While Eli understood why he hadn’t been chosen to be part of the liberation team, he still paced the front room until he saw headlights in the driveway.
Tension streamed out of him, leaving him weak at the knees. Maybe it was silly to worry, but so many things could go wrong. Things could get physical during the extraction, or maybe somebody in Rowan’s family had a shotgun. He wishedhis imagination wasn’t so great right about now. He held on to the wall, letting out a relieved sigh.
“They’ve only been gone an hour. You’ve practically worn a new groove in the floor,” Henry Dale said.
Though Eli didn’t say anything, he knew the old man was concerned too. Which was exactly why he was still looking out the window and not holed up in his room rereadingThe Princess Bride. Four people headed toward the house, and Eli went to open the door for them. Iris and Sally came inside first, leaving Mira to converse for a few moments with the newcomer.That must be Rowan.
They had a small suitcase, a backpack, and a duffle bag with clothes sticking out the top.Yeah, definitely a stealth extraction.Rowan looked nervous—completely understandable since everything was happening so fast. Eli decided that Sally’s solution—warm drinks for everyone—made a lot of sense in this situation. He conscripted Henry Dale to help him, and the older man appeared to understand his intentions. Even in the kitchen, Eli could hear the conversation, however.
Mira had gotten Rowan into the foyer, but they were objecting. “I can’t just move in. I don’t have ajob. I don’t have anything. I need to—”
“Everyone needs a hand sometimes,” Iris said. “Before I inherited this house, I owed so much back rent that I couldn’t sleep for fretting over it. The room Mira mentioned isn’t big, but when we heard about your situation, we collectively decided it should be yours.”
“Let’s take your things upstairs,” Sally suggested. “If you decide you’d rather stay somewhere else,youhave all the power.”
Iris’s voice came across as very gentle. “Definitely. I won’t ask you to sign a rental agreement. The room is yours for however long you need or want it.”
“I…wow.” Rowan paused briefly, and Eli wondered what was happening inside that silence.
Mira spoke in a reassuring tone. “I’ve been here for a couple of weeks. Everyone is nice. Henry Dale can be a bit of a grouch, but you’ll get used to him. Sally is pure sunshine, Eli is the brother I never had, and Iris is the glue that holds us together.”
“Really? Not only because I own the house?” Iris sounded surprised at being described that way.
No, she’s right. You drew all of us in, one way or another.
“We won’t force you to stay, of course,” Iris went on, “if you don’t like the house or you’d rather make other arrangements.”
“No, I like it,” Rowan said quickly. “What I’ve seen anyway.”
